Wheel-mounting.



E. KRANTZ.

WHEEL MQUNTI NG. APPLICATION FILED APR-22,1915- 1.,170,675. PatentedFeb. 1, 1916.

UNITED STATES EDWARD KBANTZ, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WHEEL-MOUNTING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

Application filed April 22, 1915. Serial No. 23,026.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD KnAN'rz, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Wheel-Mountings, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mountings for wheels, for instance as on carpetcleaners adapted to travel over a surface and having provisions such assuction apparatus or a brush for collecting dust and dirt. Its object isprimarily to provide a strong, lightweight, durable and efficientmounting for such Wheels, and one of comparatively few parts; also amounting in which the bearing element itself is of simple construction,and a mounting which may readily be assembled or taken apart, as forrepair if at any time found necessary; and, in general, to improve themechanical construction of wheel mountings adapted to such use.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification Ihave illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention as applied to awell-known type of carpet cleaner, the operativeparts of the cleaneritself not being shown.-

In these drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the rear end of suchcleaner with my improvements thereon; Fig. 2 is a transverse, vertical,sectional view of the same device, as on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3is an enlarged top view of the mounting complete; Fig. 4 is a verticallongitudinal section through Fig. 3, as on the line 4:4: thereof; Fig. 5is a horizontal section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4:; and Figs. 6' and 7are perspective views of bearing elements. All of the sectional viewsare in the directions of the arrows respectively.

My improved mounting comprises a metallic strap 10 bent intermediate itsends to form a substantially U-shaped structure having the crotchportion 11 preferably arcuate to accommodate in substantiallytight-fitting association the preferably circular female member 12 ofthe bearing element, the crotch portion of the strap 10 being preferablyformed so as to encompass the element 12 in tightly fitting associationto an extent somewhat above the center line 5-5 thereof and this for abetter holding effect. The iegs of the U-shaped portion of the strap areapertured, as at 13, to receive the clamping element I L-preferably abolt,

by which the legs A and B may be drawn,

together, tightly clamping the bearing element 12 between them. Beyondthe apertures 13 the legs A and B are preferably separated suflicientlyto provide a substantial base for the outwardly turned ends 15 and 16 ofthe strap as well as to permit insertion of the bearing element at theplaces marked A and B, the bearing being forced through the restrictedarea at the bolt 14 (the bolt, of course, not then being in position)and into the crotch proper. 'lhese ends are apertured as at 17 and 18,one of the openings, as 18, being preferably in slot form whereby aslight adjustment of the wheel 19 may be had with respect to the body 20of the cleaner when the strap 10 is held thereon, as by the screws 21,since by drawing the legs A and B together the distance between theperiphery of the wheel 19 and the body 20 of the cleaner is increased. Ifind this adjustment of value in getting the tread of the four wheels(where four are employed) in a common plane, and also in causing thesuction nozzle, with which such cleaners are well understood to beprovided, to contact the floor equally at both ends as desired.

The female element 12 is further held in the crotch part 11 byturned-over portions of the same, preferably a plurality of lips 23,bent in toward the element 12, and contacting the same on both sides,thus preventing the element 12 from moving laterally with respect to thecrotch portion 11, yet permitting the removal of the bearing element byremoving the bolt 1 1 and spreading the legs A and B slightly.

The bearing element comprises the female member 12, which is preferablyan integrally formed metallic cup-like stamping having an annularflange-like portion 12 upstanding from the side wall portion 12*, whichside wall portion is centrally apertured, as

at 12 to receive loosely and for rotationv therein the stem 25 of anintegrally formed male bearing element 25. This male element comprisesthe disk-like portion 25 adapted substantially to close the open side ofthe element 12, and is preferably of a somewhat smaller diameter thanthat of the interior of the flange-like portion 12 so as to be rotatabletherein when assembled as in Fig. 5. Between the stem 25* and theinterior surface of the flange 12 I provide a plurality of anti-frictionelements 26, shown as balls,

these anti-friction elements contacting both the male and femaleelements so as to take the weight carried by the strap when the deviceis in use. The stem 25 is centrally apertured, as at 27, and preferablyon slightly tapering lines, to accommodate the outer endof the shaft 22which is forced tightly into the opening 27 and frictionally held. Thefree end of the stem 25 is preferably recessed or cut away' as at 28 toform an edge adapted to be turned over, as at .29, so as to engage theside wall portion 12", sufliciently loosely, however, to permit the maleelement 25 to rotate upon the friction elements 26, while providing alock against the separation of the parts of the bearing element as awhole.

Some modifications may be made of the construction actually picturedwithout departing from the spirit of the invention, and all such as fallwlthin the scope of the appended claims are contemplated by me.

I claim: a

1. A wheel mounting comprising in combination a metallic strap bentsubstantially U-shaped intermediate its ends and the end portions of thetwo legs thus formed bent to form supports, the legs of said U-shapedportion being formed at the crotch thereof to accommodate a bearingwithin the crotch, said legs being spaced apart more widely than thewidth of said bearing at a place intermediate the crotch and the ends ofthe legs, said legs being spaced apart less widelythan the width of thebearing intermediate the crotch and said more widely spaced.

of said legs, said leg's being apertured to receive a bolt and a. boltin said apertures adapted to draw said legs toward each other whereby abearing in said crotch may be clamped tightly therein, and a bearing soclamped in said crotch.

2. A wheel mounting comprising in combination a. metallic strap bentsubstantially U-shaped intermediate its ends, means for securing saidstrap in a relatively fixed position, a bearing element in the crotch ofsaid U-shaped portion, edge portions ofsaid strap being turned over tohold saidbearing against lateral displacement in said crotch, the legsof said U-shaped portion being spaced aparta greater distance than thewidth of said bearing at a place between theends of said strap and thecrotch thereof whereby a bearing vmay be there positioned between saidlegs and passed into the crotch and into engagement with said inwardlyturned portions, and means for drawing said legs toward each otherwhereby said bearing is clamped in said crotch.

3. A wheel mounting comprising a metallic strap bent substantiallyU-shaped in termediate its ends and the end portions of the two legsthus formed bent to form supports, each of said supports having anopening for a screw or the like, one of said openings being elongated toprovide adjustment of a shaft carried by said mounting, a bear- ,ing inthe crotch of said U-shaped element, and means intermediate said bearingand the ends of the strap for clamping said legs upon said bearing tohold the same securely.

EDWARD KRANTZ. Witnesses:

T. D. BUTLER, M. M. KRIESAND.

